Photo credit: The Wisdom of Stability

Spare Key just finished reading Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove's The Wisdom of Stability which makes a case for staying in place and investing in a neighborhood. This is the first of two posts inspired by that book.

Spare Key's decision to read the Wisdom of Stability corresponded nicely with my and Amber's recent decision to buy a house. We have chosen to put down roots, and so it was nice to read something that affirmed that decision.

But in making his case for stable intentional communities, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove drew heavily from the Desert Fathers and Mothers. For example, he quotes Saint Antony a lot:

"In whatever place you live, do not easily leave it."
—Abba Anthony, 3rd century AD

As a recent home buyer, I resonate with the Desert Fathers' commitment to place. But in other ways, I have to admit I have a hard time getting excited about the wisdom of the Desert Fathers.

In many spiritualities---take Buddhism for example---the way of the householder is not considered a very spiritual path. In fact, the term householder meant "non-monastic" and contrasted sharply with the more spiritual and ascetic monastics who rejected the cares of society and sought freedom from all worldly attachments.


Christian monasticism makes exactly the same distinction between monastics and laity/householders. Monastics in general and the Desert Fathers and Mothers in particular always emphasized withdrawing as much as humanly possible from the distractions of everyday life. No getting married, no having a secular career, and certainly no buying houses.

Modern intentional communities aren't like that at all, of course. Instead, we put a great deal of emphasis on being active in our neighborhoods. Many intentional communities, including Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove's own Rutba House in Durham NC, make a point of being hospitality houses.

So, while the Desert Fathers have much to teach us about the power of committing to a place, they're not quite as natural a choice when it comes to teaching us how to serve that place.

This post was written by Jay Howard, Neighborhood Czar of Spare Key. Check back later for the second part of this post series on The Wisdom of Stability.